Or the Stones Will
"As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. "Go into the village over there," he said. "As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will immediately let you take them."
This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
"Tell the people of Jerusalem,
'Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey--
riding on a donkey's colt."
The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to Him and threw their garments over the colt and He sat on it.
Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting,
"Praise God for the Son of David!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
Praise God in highest heaven!"
The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as He entered. "Who is this?" they asked.
And the crowds replied, "It's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Jesus drew a crowd that day, the day of Palm Sunday. However, when He started His ministry many more people came to Him. Twice, He drew a crowd of 5,000 men not including women and children, but that had been a year or more ago. As the 3 years of Jesus teaching and healing had gone by He started to draw less and less of a crowd. He was losing His fan club. There was a lot more rumors and whispers going around when He entered. People weren't quite sure if they still wanted to be associated with Him. In addition, the highly esteemed Pharisees routinely showed their disapproval for Jesus, though they still kept a listening ear to what He said. The Pharisees were looked at for spiritual direction, they were upheld as a representation of the law, young boys hoped to be one of the chosen few to study under them. You could feel the tension in between them during most of their encounters.
What brought the people to worship Him that day? Were they worshiping Him because they believed He was their messiah that was going to rescue them from the Roman authority ? Were the worshiping Him because they believed He was their personal Messiah and was going to take away their sins once and for all? Did they worship Him because He healed them or a family member? Or were they worshiping Him because they truly saw God in the flesh among them? Something changed that day. Maybe it was something different in the air. Something deep down in the soul of each person there. The tension had been rising but somehow the tension was pushed away that day. Luke describes Jesus' words, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!" (19:40). What would it have been to feel that calling? The calling to come and worship. Knowing at that very moment there was a divine intervention to do so.
What bring us to worship Jesus? Is there a calling deep inside? Is there a thought that comes and goes that brings us to thanksgiving? Are we thanking Jesus because He came to rescue us from this world? Or are we thanking Him because he came to rescue us personally from ourselves, our own sin? Is there a moment where you personally had a healing or a touch that we can return to God the thanks that He is due? Or are we just astounded by the fact that God came down in the flesh to have relationship with us? What brings you to worship Him today?
